TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Steven Lederer, Director of Public Works
REPORT BY: Estrella Munoz, Junior Engineer
SUBJECT: Waiver of Competitive Bid and Award of Emergency Construction Contract for the “Mt. St. Helena Communications Tower Emergency Generator Project,” PW 25-45
RECOMMENDATION
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Approve a report of emergency Public Works actions to establish the Mt. St. Helena Communications Tower emergency generator replacement project as authorized by Resolution No. 2015-37; determine that based on the emergency does not permit the delay associated with competitive bidding procedures, and that the emergency actions are necessary to respond to the emergency pursuant to Public Contract Code section 22050; and approve and authorize the emergency construction contract with Peterson Power Systems, Inc. of Santa Rosa, CA. (Fiscal Impact: $145,313 Expense; Capital Projects Fund; Budgeted; Discretionary)
[4/5 vote required]
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BACKGROUND
The County of Napa Communications Department currently has a 40-foot-tall telecommunications tower atop the South Peak of Mt. St. Helena that was built in 1970. This site is critical for the operation of public safety communication throughout the county serving local government, law enforcement, and fire agencies.
In April of 2025, the emergency generator that previously provided power during outages ceased operation. To temporarily resolve this, Public Works borrowed one mobile generator from the Office of Emergency Services (OES) to operate on standby at the communications tower. While this temporary solution works in the short term, it limits resources that OES can deploy in emergency situations. Additionally, there is concern that the fuel capacity of the mobile generator may not meet the operational time required for emergency situations at the communications tower during a power outage. Because of the tower’s remote location, access to the tower during an emergency may be significantly hampered, making refilling the temporary generator’s fuel tank during an emergency challenging. If the communications tower is left without power, especially in an emergency, this has the potential to severely affect the response of emergency agencies to the public.
Public Works staff determined that it is necessary to replace the temporary generator with a permanent generator, equipped with a higher capacity fuel tank that will be suitable to power the communications tower in an emergency, as soon as possible. Staff went through Sourcewell to obtain a quote for a contractor with the ability to provide and install the replacement generator. Based on the Sourcewell quote received, Public Works requests to sole source construction to Peterson Power Systems, Inc. for the replacement of the emergency generator at the Mt. St. Helena Communications Tower. Funding for the work is budgeted in the Capital Project Fund.
If this action is approved, Public Works will report at future Board meetings on the progress of this project in conjunction with the report on the two other emergency projects currently underway.
Requested Actions:
1. Receive and review report of emergency Public Works actions in response to the Mt. St. Helena Communications Tower emergency generator replacement without competitive bidding as authorized by Resolution No. 2015-37 and determine that based on the report from Public Works, that the emergency does not permit the delay associated with competitive bidding procedures, and that the emergency actions are necessary to respond to the emergency pursuant to Public Contract Code section 22050 [4/5 Vote Required].
2. Approval of a waiver of competitive bidding requirements and sole source award an emergency construction contract to Peterson Power Systems, Inc. for the “Mt. St. Helena Communications Tower Emergency Generator Replacement Project.”
FISCAL IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
Yes |
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Where is it budgeted? |
Funding is available in the Capital Projects Fund (Fund 3000, Subdivision 3000560; Project 25003 “Generator Repair and Replacement”). |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
The communications tower must be equipped with a permanent emergency generator during a power outage to maintain emergency services and the public safety. |
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Is the general fund affected? |
Yes |
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Future fiscal impact: |
Operation and Maintenance of the generator will be budgeted in future fiscal years in the Property Management budget. |
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Consequences if not approved: |
The Mt. St. Helena Communications Tower could be left without power during an emergency and could jeopardize public safety. |
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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by California Code of Regulations, title 14, section 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and, therefore, CEQA is not applicable.